Kevin Cronin

Because I certainly, it wasn't like two equals meeting.

He was definitely, you know, I definitely had a lot to learn when I met him.

And he must have somehow sensed that.

I mean, it's, I don't know.

But yeah, I was dropped in.

Irving was not happy at all because the first album sold over 200,000 copies.

Irving's like,

What are you doing?

Why are you replacing the guy, you know?

And Terry Luttrell, the original singer, was a good... He had a good bluesy, kind of a gravelly voice, and he didn't play an instrument, but he had the mic stand moves and, you know, the cool hair and, you know.

But I guess he wasn't a writer.

Okay.

And the first album is all credited to... written by REO Speedwagon.

But, you know...

The truth is, I think most of the songs, I think Gary came in with most of the songs, and then the band added some prog rock side sections, but then it always came back to the song song.

But I didn't know that.

I thought REO Speedwagon was about prog rock and just hard rock and riff type stuff, and so I wasn't sure what to expect.

But then I would come to learn that Gary was

taught guitar by his uncle Leroy, who was a country guy.

So Gary, in his soul, was country.